The Netherlands
Trip Start
Unknown
1
Trip End
Ongoing
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Friday, February 22, 2008
On May 14, 1940, General Schmidt of Germany issued an ultimatum on Colonel Scharroo, the Dutch Commander of Rotterdam. They threatened to bomb rotterdam if they did not surrenter. General Winkelman, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dutch Armed Forces, asked Scharroo to request a second ultimatum, in hopes of buying more time. Schmidt agreed top postphone the bombing. Unfortunately, before this news reached the bombing aircrafts, the bombing already started. Schmidt ordered red flares to indicate surrender, but it was too late. Around 800 people died and 78 000 people were homeless. Scharroo signed the surrender of Rotterdam after that.
After the Rotterdam blitz, the Dutch army surrendered. But a battle in Zeeland still went on, until Hitler bombarded Zeeland and forced them to surrender.
Due to the occupation of Germany, transport of resources to the Netherlands was stopped. There was a scarcity in food and resources. Rations were introduced to control the consumption of goods. Coupons were distributed to citizens. The people who are active in the resistance conducted raids to acquire coupons for those people in hiding.
During this time, everyone is required to carry identification cards. All political parties were also forbidden, except the Nationaal Socialistische Beweging, the dutch collaborators of the Nazis. The news that comes out of the press are carefully guarded by the Germans. A curfew is imposed, and during the night, all windows must be covered and all lights turned off.
During the early occupation, all jews were fired and brought to certain districts in Amsterdam. There, Jewish counsels made lists of all the jews in their areas. These lists were used to transport the Jews to concentration camps. Also, all Jews are required to wear a yellow david's star on their clothes to indicate that they are jews.
As for the non jews, when the Germans lacked workers for its war industries, Hitler ordered that every male who are 18 years or older had to work in German factories for six months. Many men who refused to do so went into hiding.
The vast majority of the Dutch people resented Germany's rule over their country. Many dutchmen helped Jews find hiding places and supported them. Although not a lot, there were also people who participated in active resistance. (Examples!!)
There are also people who collaborated with the Germans. Anton Mussert en Cees van Geelkerken founded a party called the Nationaal-Socialistische Beweging (NSB). (anong nangyari?)
Perhaps the most famous victim of the Holocaust in the Netherlands is Anne Frank. Anne Frank was a young German Jew who wrote about her life of her family and their companions in het achterhuis. They were able to hide from the Germans in the first few years of the occupation. But unfortunately, they were discovered and were sent off to concentration camps.
